It took place a little over three years ago, but I remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was working on show prep for the radio program I produced and contributed to on-air when the station owner called me to his office to discuss my recent “insubordinate behavior.”
What did I do to have such an accusation leveled against me? I had agreed to appear as a guest on a radio show to discuss my involvement with the Convention of States Project. The host of the show was someone my boss didn’t approve of, so he forbade me from appearing, even though I was acting in my Strident Conservative capacity and not as a representative of his station.
This was a problem for several reasons. First, there was the fact that my work as The Strident Conservative was independent of my employment with the radio station. Then there was the fact that my Strident Conservative business existed before I went to work for the station, and my position as the owner of the Strident Conservative is what earned me the job at this “conservative” talk station in the first place.
In the end, I was offered the opportunity to keep my job at the radio station, provided that any future opportunities as the Strident Conservative were run through the station owner and the host of the show I produced beforehand. This was clearly unacceptable, so I was eventually forced to resign.
Though these events were unexpected, they eventually became the seeds for the work I’m doing today. It appears that God does open a window when he closes a door. As can often be the case, however, even as we pursue the calling God puts on our heart, there’s a price to pay … spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and financially.
Fortunately, Jesus has taken care of the spiritual price of following my calling. And thanks to the support of my wonderful wife, awesome conservative allies like Shannon Joy, and my growing readership/listenership, the spiritual, emotional, and mental challenges have been manageable. However, the financial challenges have been a bit tougher to tackle.
As I wrote a few days ago, the odds are overwhelmingly against me as I fight the GOP establishment in Washington and in the media, and fighting the odds have come with a cost. I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but the primary reason finances are challenging is because there’s no money to be made for folks like me who refuse to play the GOP establishment’s game. I’m not a clickservative promoting content for clicks or traffic like some in the so-called conservative media destroying conservatism are doing, and I never will. Truth, apparently, also comes at a cost.
This brings me to the point of today’s post. While the obstacles are great, the opportunities to advance the work of the Strident Conservative online and on the radio are greater. But I can’t do it without financial help.
For example, I have the opportunity to make a one-hour radio-quality podcast available. This will require new funds to upgrade my home studio and pay the production and distribution costs. My hope would be that once this podcast gets enough national exposure, advertisers who agree with my conservative message would join in and subsidize it.
I would like to hire someone to manage social media. I would like to hire a publicist or PR person to promote the Strident Conservative for speaking and TV/radio appearances. I would like to create some Strident Conservative bling to reward new and current supporters. And I’d like to hire — and pay — a writing staff.
Thanks to the generosity of many, I’ve been able to upgrade my website (with more upgrades to come), get a logo designed, and pay for some small-scale advertising. I’m extremely grateful for each and every donation that made this possible, but I could still use more help.
Currently, my out-of-pocket expenses for the “big ticket” items like production/distribution of my two-minute daily radio feature runs into thousands of dollars, and it will take thousands more to do the things I mentioned above. This is why I launched the Power of Two some time ago. If enough people pledge $2/mo. (or more), it will catapult the Strident Conservative into the stratosphere of new opportunities.
I’ve written many times about how the battle for conservative values and the Constitution can feel pretty lonely sometimes, but many of you have assured me this is not the case. I hope you will consider joining the Power of Two and make a monthly pledge. By the way, we also accept one-time gifts. 😉
The Power of Two donate button is located in the upper right-hand corner of this page. Thank you, in advance, for your support.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His politically incorrect and always “right” columns are also featured on NOQReport.com.
His daily radio commentary is distributed by the Salem Radio Network and is heard on stations across America.
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